Destination Wedding in Boston

Cami & I are off to Boston this morning to photograph Megan & Dave’s wedding.  Interesting story…Megan is from the Boston area, but dave is from Australia…so for our initial consultation and planning meetings, we all conferenced together on SKYPE!  The funny part is, Dave & Megan originally met online.  So for us to get to know them online is kind of ironic!  J  It’s been a really cool and fun experience and we’re THRILLED to be joining them during this special weekend.  We’ll be back in the office on Tuesday.

Jennifer & Robert at the Unitarian Church

I had the most AWESOME wedding last weekend!!!  Jennifer & Robert were married at the beautiful Unitarian Church.  I met up with Jennifer at Charleston Place Hotel where she was getting ready.  I knew from their engagement shoot that she was going to be a GORGEOUS bride.  I wasn’t wrong!  From there I met up with Robert and his family at the Wentworth Mansion to get their photos.  Robert is such a fun, casual kind of guy…I had a great time working with him.  Then it was on to the church for their wedding vows.  Dwight, my favorite Limo driver in the world, took them back to Charleston Place where he let me get a few cool shots with his vintage Rolls Royce.  At the reception, the delightful Jay Maxwell kept the party rolling.  The whole day just went beautifully.  Check out the rest of their pictures at www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com.  I was so blessed to be a part of this special time in their lives.  CONGRATULATIONS, Jennifer & Robert!!!


Olive Productions on Duty

Last weekend I showed up at Charleston Place Hotel after my wedding, on my way to the reception upstairs in the Cypress Ballroom.  As walked across Market Street Circle to head inside, I glanced over and who should I see but my good friends Joey & Casey Grobb from Olive Productions!  I instinctively whipped out my six-shooter and grabbed this shot.  Needless to say I won the draw contest!  J

Tricia & Michael at White Point Gardens

Tricia & Michael are two of the sweetest folks you could ever meet.  I had an instant connection with both of them when we first met.  Michael traveled a lot when he was a kid…Guam, Puerto Rico, and all over the US…so he and I had that in common.  And Tricia is a school teacher…as both my parents were “educators” I have the utmost respect for teachers!  The story of how Michael proposed is one for the storybooks.  Suffice it to say that he asked her to marry him while they were at Waterfront Park watching their first sunrise together.  Awwwww!  He had even secretly arranged for all their family and friends to meet them for brunch afterwards.  I’m a hopeless romantic at heart…so I love that Michael took the initiative to plan all that!!!  We had the BEST time on their Engagement Shoot.  We started at White Point Gardens in downtown Charleston and walked all over the historic district and around The Battery.  I’m SO EXCITED at being a part of their wedding day in October!!!

Sarah & Seth’s Historic Charleston Engagement Shoot

I had the most AWESOME Engagement Shoot with Sarah & Seth in downtown Charleston the other day!  I knew when we originally met that I was going have a real “connection” with these guys.  I have never laughed, acted as goofy, or had so much fun on an E-Session as I did with these two.  We just seem to have the same sense of humor and outspoken joy of life!  Not to mention how strong the connection is between Sarah & Seth.  They are just so comfortable with each other and willing to be themselves in front of each other…no fake facades or guarded feelings here…they are truly in love and it SHOWS!  I can’t wait to be a part of their beautiful wedding in Rock Hill later this summer…

Amanda’s Anniversary Surprise at the Pavilion at Patriots Point

Amanda Assey Lewis of Southern Chic Weddings got a HUGE surprise from her hubby yesterday.  J  Tim planned an elaborate evening, including a stop at the Pavilion at Patriots Point, which is where they were married one year ago.  He’d arranged for a white linen table setting with Champaigne and a “fresh” replica of their cake topper to be placed out on the green overlooking Charleston Harbor.  I got there ahead of time, stashed a remote camera on one side of the table, and hid in the bushes with my 400mm lens on the other.  Feeling a little voyeristic, but knowing I had all the angles covered, I waited!  Amanda was totally surprised by the whole thing and we had a good laugh when I came out of the bushes afterwards.  Since it was right at sunset, we took advantage of the dramatic light and did a few portraits to commemorate the occasion before they headed off to dinner.  Tim really raised the bar for the rest of us married men!  Well done, sir!!!  And CONGRATULATIONS to you both on your 1-year Anniversary!!!  Many thanks to my friend and colleague, Liz Duren, for letting me in on the “secret”.   

Nathan Bell invades my Secret Shooting Spot!

Yesterday evening I was “on walkabout” doing an Engagement photo shoot with one of my favorite couples EVER!  We were just walking along, having a blast, and getting some cool shots…when suddenly on the other side of an old brick wall I could hear a camera clicking away.  I peeked around the corner and who should I see by my good friend and fellow photographer, Nathan Bell of Richard Bell Photography!  Nathan’s a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor…so we both immediately went into mock horror mode…like “hey man, what are YOU doing in MY shooting space?!?”  Then we busted out laughing and introduced our couple to each other, and chit chatted for a few minutes before carrying on our separate ways.  But before Nathan could get out of sight, I enticed his couple into this zany pose with him.  It’s always fun bumping into friends while out shooting.  J 

Kim & Michael’s Downtown/Folly Beach Shoot

Kim & Michael are a sweet, gentle, amazing couple from Aiken.  For their Engagement Shoot, we did a double-whammy.  As I was driving downtown to meet them for the first part of their shoot, the wind was blowing and the sky looked dark and foreboding.  I was concerned, but soldiered on.  When we met up, I found out they were concerned about the weather too.  But we decided to be adventurous and go for it.  We were rewarded a few minutes later with beautiful light.  By the time we got to Folly Beach for the second session, the sky had turned into this AMAZING backdrop.  WOW!!!  I love how the images turned out.  Many thanks to Kim & Michael for being so much fun to work with and being willing to brave the elements to humor this passionate old chaser of DRAMATIC LIGHT!  J

Kelly & Aaron’s 3-Year Anniversary

This beautiful message from Kelly & Aaron just hit my Facebook page.  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and THANK YOU for the kind words…you guys are THE BEST!!!
  

Hi Chris, Today is Aaron and I’s third anniversary. Can you believe it? I wanted to thank you once again for the memories you captured for us that will last forever. Thank you again for being our wedding photographer! We loved working with you! 

~ Kelly & Aaron

 

Cotton Dock Remote

Last weekend I had the privilege of photographing Heather & Josh’s wedding at Boone Hall Plantation for our good friends Bill & Kelli Nixon.  The ceremony was held at the rustic Cotton Dock.  What a cool venue for a wedding!  I arrived early, as usual, and noticed the decorators were draping these long, silky, white sheets over the huge wooden rafters.  Seeing those rafters gave me the idea to mount a remote camera from one of the rafters to get this cool angle.  In the first photo you can see the D300 with 10.5mm Fisheye super-clamped to the rafter looking strait down.  The second shot is an image from the remote camera, which I fired with a set of PocketWizards.  Fun Stuff!!! 

Two Front Teeth

Brittany & Mitch…two of the nicest people you could ever meet…were kind enough to let me “play” with their beautiful 9-month old daughter the other day.  She is such a sweetheart!  It seems like just yesterday we were photographing Brittany & Mitch’s wedding.  Now they are the proud parents of this beautiful daughter with the cutest smile!  I love her two front teeth…  J

The Miracle of Vision

My vision is pretty important to me!  So I make sure and get my eyes a thorough checkup every couple years.  Being a photographer, I always ask to have an imaging scan done as well.  It’s truly AMAZING what these medical imaging scanners can see.  Here are my Optomap Ultra-Widefield Retinal Images.  My doctor went through in detail and told me all about what every detail of my eye is.  It’s SO COOL!  Truly, the gift of vision that we have is a miracle in itself!!!